Eggplant Cannoli, Bistro Salad, Sauternes Cake with Roasted Pear

Dinner 1/18

Eggplant Cannoli
(recipe below)

Bistro Salad

Dessert

Sauternes Cake with Roasted Pear
(adapted from Neil Perry and the recipe is here)

About 5pm, while faced with another round of eggplant parmesan, we came up with this idea. We're certainly not the first to do so, as a quick search of google will tell you, but the other versions don't sound like this one, or aren't vegan, so forward we go...

Eggplant Cannoli
(makes about 10 pieces)

1 globe eggplant
salt

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tbs. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbs. water

1 cup of breadcrumbs
2 tbs. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. fennel seeds, ground
1 tsp. oregano, finely minced

Trim the top and bottom off of the eggplant and square off all side pieces to make a rectangular loaf-sized piece at least 6 long.

Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, slice the eggplant into about 1/8" thick slices. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the eggplant slices and place in a colander to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse off the salt and pat the eggplant slices dry.

Add the flour, salt, pepper and smoked paprika in a shallow dish or pie plate and coat the eggplant on both sides.



In a separate dish or pan, place only one side of the eggplant in the cornstarch slurry.

In a third dish or pan, place only the wet cornstarch side of the eggplant in the breadcrumbs and press firmly to coat completely.

Place a cannoli tube at the bottom of a piece of eggplant and tightly roll the eggplant slice upwards. When you reach the end, press firmly on both sides of the tube to seal the edge.



Place two toothpicks in the eggplant to help keep the cannoli sealed while it is in the deep-fryer.



Deep-fry the cannoli (the metal tubes and the eggplant) in 385F canola/peanut oil for 2-3 minutes until the cannoli get golden brown. Remove, drain and let cool for a few minutes before trying to pull out the tube.



Immediately stuff the cannoli with the ricotta filling (a pastry bag would work here).

Ricotta Filling

8oz. firm tofu
1/2 cup soy sour cream
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Add all of the ingredients to a blender or use a small container and an immersion blender and puree until creamy. A variation would be to add cooked spinach and nutmeg to the filling.



Top the cannoli with your favorite tomato sauce and serve hot.

Key items:

• Using a mandoline not only makes them look uniform in size and shape, but it also allows you to cut them more thinly and accurately than with a knife -- which is important when it comes time to wrap them around the cannoli tube.
  
  
• Carefully twist the toothpicks when pulling them out. They may adhere to the breadcrumb coasting after being deep-fried and will pull a big chunk of coating off if you just yank it through. ;)
  
  
• Have the ricotta in the pastry bag (large tip) ready to go as soon as you pull the tubes out -- you want that combination of crispy eggplant and creamy ricotta.
  

Tags: eggplant, tofu, basil, parsley, salad, sauternes, cake, pears, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Seitan and Lentil Stew, Haricot Verts

Dinner 1/17

Seitan and Lentil Stew
(seitan, lentils, carrots, onion, garlic, veg stock, tamari, herbes de provence)

Haricot Verts

Time again for comfort food on a cold, snowy January evening... The lentils are pressure cooked with veg stock and half of an onion studded with two cloves (a classic trick) -- you can toss the onion after it finished cooking -- it barely holds together most times, having given all of its essence to the lentils.

The seitan and the rest of the onion, garlic and carrots are pan-fried separately with a little salt, pepper, tamari and herbes de provence for seasoning. Then they're all tossed together for a few minutes and topped with blanched haricot verts (about 4-5 minutes in salted water).

Tags: seitan, carrots, lentils, haricot verts, garlic, onions, pressure cooker, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Pizza and a Salad

Raw Food Wednesday 1/16

Pizza
(buckwheat shells, cashew cheese, walnut filling, cherry tomato)

Mixed Green Salad
(in an edible buckwheat bowl)

Sort of a slow Raw Food Wednesday... had some time in the morning after making the pizza shells, so I made the edible bowls using a mini-loaf pan. They turned out very well, and gave the salad with the mixed greens, tomato and creamy garlic dressing (macadamia, garlic, shallots, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper) a nice little upgrade.

The pizza's were, as always, excellent -- crunchy crust, creamy cheese, spicy topping -- you can't go wrong with these.

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, pizza, cashew, walnuts, buckwheat, salad, lettuce, tomato, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Wine Tasting at Riverside Wine and Imports

Riverside Tasting 1/15

Tofu Curry Phyllo Cups

Orzo Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Polenta Squares with Caramelized Red Onion

Chocolate Mini-Cupcakes

We haven't done a tasting at Riverside Wine and Imports in a while (expect more next month), so we resumed our stealthy vegan outreach program with some dishes from the Holiday Party like the orzo salad, phyllo cups, mini-cupcakes) and worked in some polenta as well.

The curry cups are always a crowd pleaser. We smoked the tofu with apple wood, as the sauce apple cider based along with ginger, garlic, curry powder, vegenaise and currants.

Tags: riverside wine, wine tasting, wine, curry, tofu, orzo, pasta, phyllo, polenta, red onion, cupcakes, chocolate, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Gobi Manchurian, Broccoli Tempura

Dinner 1/14

Gobi Manchurian
(from Saveur)

Jasmine Rice

Broccoli Tempura

The Gobi Manchurian has become Liz's new favorite way of eating cauliflower, and I'm inclined to agree (although the roasted cauliflower with tamarind dipping sauce is still pretty awesome as well).

The recipe fuses Indian and Chinese cooking with a fabulous result. The only change we made was to use Kecap Manis in place of the ketchup, mainly because we have some that's been sitting in the back of the fridge for ages. ;)

And while we had the deep-frying action going on, we decide to make a quick broccoli tempura (recipe) for the kids.

Tags: kecap manis, cauliflower, tempura, broccoli, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Pizza Times Two

Dinner 1/13

Pizza One
(FYH Monterey Jack and Cheddar, Tomato Sauce, Mushrooms, Onions)

Pizza Two
(Blue Sheese, Smoked Tofu, Mushrooms, Onions, Cashew Cream Sauce)

The pizza shells got puffy (lots of air pockets), but it had a really nice crust on them...



...the blue sheese/cashew cream sauce was a nice change of pace, but I'm not ready to give up the smoked tofu topping ;)

The dough recipe, as always, is here

Tags: pizza, fyh, sheese, mushrooms, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu Triangles, Spring Rolls, Gyoza

Dinner 1/11

Tofu Triangles

Spring Rolls
(red cabbage, carrot, scallion, jalapeno, celery, ginger, garlic, pepper)

Gyoza
(napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, sesame oil)

I love the way the tofu changes when it's deep-fried -- it gets all balloon-y in the oil and then once it begins to cool, you can watch it collapse on itself in front of your eyes. The marinade of tamari, gin, szechuan pepper and cornstarch gives the tofu a great texture along with the sweet/sour/spicy dipping sauce of agave, tamari and rooster sauce (which also doubles as the sauce for the spring rolls).

The spring rolls were made with rice paper sheets, which were soaked in warm water for a minute or so, then stuffed with the filling listed above, and sealed with a little of the cornstarch slurry/marinade that was left over from the tofu triangles. This was as close to restaurant style spring rolls as we've ever made.

We often get asked about where to find wrappers that don't have dairy (either milk or whey hiding in the ingredients). They're not always easy to find -- you may need to search around for a bit -- but we found these at our local Korean grocery store. They're simply wheat flour, rice flour, water and salt.

The gyoza / pot stickers were filled with lightly sauteed napa cabbage and shiitake mushrooms with a little sesame oil -- then pan-seared and then steamed with a little tamari in the wok. Served with a ponzu dipping sauce.

Tags: ponzu, tofu, gyoza, pot stickers, napa cabbage, red cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, spring rolls, rice paper, tamari, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Seitan Osso Buco, Cannellini Bean and Spinach Soup

Dinner 1/10

Seitan Osso Buco

Cannellini Bean and Spinach Soup

The soup follows the "whatever you have in the fridge" method -- in this case, mirepoix, plus garlic, cannellini beans, tomatoes, spinach, smoked pepper, salt and our homemade veg stock. Liz made it while she was home for lunch, and it doubles as lunch for the kids the next day in their thermos...



Seitan Osso Buco

The osso buco uses 16oz. of hickory-smoked seitan (about 30 minutes in the smoker box), to inject some additional flavor into the stew. The seitan was cubed, then pan-fried in a large dutch-oven until well browned. Remove the seitan and keep warm.

The stew base is 1 medium onion, diced, 4 cloves garlic, minced, 1 carrot, diced and 1 tsp. thyme, crumbled, sauteed in 1 tbs. olive oil for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle 2 tbs. of flour over the veggies and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the pan-fried seitan, 1 cup of red wine, 1 cup of whole tomatoes and 1 cup of veg stock and bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and simmer on low heat for about an hour until it thickens up. Serve over pasta.

Tags: seitan, stew, tomatoes, carrot, cannellini, beans, soup, pasta, spinach, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Yellow Beet Ravioli, Collard Green Salad Rolls, Watermelon Radish Carpaccio, Celeriac and Green Apple Soup

Raw Food Wednesday 1/09

Yellow Beet Ravioli

Collard Green Salad Rolls

Watermelon Radish Carpaccio

Celeriac and Green Apple Soup

Back in the, er... saddle? (NOT VEGAN!)

Easing into Raw Food Wednesday with the familiar Yellow Beet Ravioli, stuffed with cashew cheese. As an experiment, I used a small cookie cutter to cut out the discs of dehydrated cheese, which made for a more uniform look, and the top piece of marinated beet sealed more easily as a result. Next time, maybe I'll try two pieces of cheese and with something else placed between the two discs.

The salad rolls were wonderful, with the collard greens as soft as little pillows. The filling was red bell pepper, carrot, scallion, celery, arugula tossed with a slightly spicy dressing of (cold pressed) sesame oil, lemon juice, garlic, shallots, dates, almonds, cashews, salt and pepper.



The beautiful carpaccio was a last minute decision, as the mandoline was already out for the beets. It was dressed simply with lemon juice, oilve oil, salt and pepper.

The Celeriac and Green Apple soup is from "Raw Food Real World" -- it makes all the difference in the world to strain the celeriac and macadamia nut mixture, which makes for a silky smooth soup.

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, beets, radishes, collard greens, celeriac, celery root, apple, cashew, salad, soup, ravioli, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Gnocchi with Cashew Cream Sauce, Roasted Broccoli

Dinner 1/08

Gnocchi in Cashew Cream Sauce

Roasted Broccoli

My apologies for not finding some parsley to break up that sea of white sauce... ;)

The gnocchi recipe is modeled after Paula Wolfert's version. The sauce is still a work in progress, but is a basically a roux with shallots, garlic, mustard, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and about 1 cup of soaked/pureed cashews plus 1 cup of water. It's thick to be sure, but that works well with the gnocchi...

Tags: potato, potatoes, gnocchi, cashew, roux, broccoli, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Coconut Tofu with Curry Dipping Sauce, Stir-Fried Rice, Seared/Steamed Brussel Sprouts

Dinner 1/07

Coconut Tofu with Curry Dipping Sauce

Stir-Fried Rice

Seared/Steamed Brussel Sprouts

These would make an excellent appetizer at a party -- snack-sized and the dipping sauce is packing some heat.


Coconut Tofu with Curry Dipping Sauce

1 block of extra firm tofu cut into 32 pieces
1 tbs. tamari

Marinate the tofu strips in tamari for 15 minutes.

Then we used the three pan method.

Pan one:

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. black pepper

mix all the ingredients together

Pan two:

1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs. water,
1/8 tsp. green curry paste

mix together until a slurry forms

Pan three:

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes

Roll the tofu in the seasoned flour, then the cornstarch slurry, finally in the coconut flakes. Be sure to press down a bit on the coconut to make sure it coats the tofu completely.

Deep-fry the tofu in peanut oil @ 385F for 4-5 minutes until golden brown.

Green Curry Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup of coconut milk
2 tsp. of curry paste (or to taste)
1/2 tsp palm sugar
1 tsp. tamari

Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat.

Tags: coconut, tofu, brussel sprouts, curry, rice, tamari, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Vacation's Over...

It was a great three weeks off... but we're back to make the vegan doughnuts, err... cookies ;)

Clothespin cookies just out of the oven

Clothespin cookies stuffed with a kinda, sorta, buttercream-like filling

Tags: vacation, cookies, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Holiday Party 11

Holiday Party 11 12/15

Two days of cooking, four hours of eating.

The Main Table from the right-side. On the table along the front (l-r): Stuffed Mushrooms, White Bean Cassoulet, Seitan Bourguignon.

The Main Table from the left-side. Tapenade (w/ batard), bottom left.





Mini-Burger Buns with Poppyseeds, just out of the oven



Plate, Burgers, Plate O' Burgers



Close-Up. The hit of the party.



Triple Tofu (Salad) Tower



BBQ Tofu Lollipops



Tofu Curry In Phyllo Cups



Mushroom Duxelle Bouchée



Baked Artichoke Dip



Roasted Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes



Lentil and Soyrizo Spoons



Roasted Almonds (w/ Five Spice Powder)



Orzo Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette



Raw Pizza



Desserts:

Mini-Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberries



Plate... Cupcakes... Plate O' Cupcakes



Eggnog Cookie



(missing: Thumbprint Jam Cookies, Apple Crumb Cake)

Then after all the food was gone -- we played Rock Band until late into the night...

Tags: party, holiday, cupcakes, seitan, tofu, burgers, desserts, cookies, almonds, lentils, raw food, raw, pizza, rock band, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip (from Veganomicon)

Dinner 12/14

Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip
(from Veganomicon)

Bringing back another favorite from 2007 -- Terry's recipe for a vegan "Bahn Mi" sandwich from "Veganomicon" (a perfect gift for the vegan in your life).

The sandwich itself is loaded with seitan, cucumbers, vegenaise, cilantro and red onion on a crusty roll. But it's the broth dip (veg stock, lime juice, ginger, garlic, red pepper flake, five spice powder, etc) really shines here, elevating this dish into all-time favorite status.

Tofu Piccata, Green Beans

Dinner 10/13

Tofu Piccata

Green Beans

Adapted from the Candle Cafe cookbook. The original recipe uses seitan, we use quickly marinated tofu (in tamari), and coat with seasoned all-purpose flour, then pan-fry. The sauce is the real star though -- lemon and caper infused, it's a good change-of-pace dish.

Tags: tofu, piccata, candle cafe, green beans, capers, lemon, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Orange Seitan, Jasmine Rice, Steamed/Seared Bok Choy

Dinner 12/12

Orange Seitan

Refried Jasmine Rice

Steamed/Seared Bok Choy

The recipe for the Orange Seitan is here -- it's our favorite way to use seitan... The orange zest and juice really make the dish "pop" -- citrus is really effective in the winter when you haven't had it in a while.

Tags: orange, seitan, rice, bok choy, recipe, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Pierogies Stuffed with Cabbage and Dill. Wilted Spinach and Button Mushrooms

Dinner 12/10

Pierogies Stuffed with Cabbage and Dill

Wilted Spinach and Button Mushrooms

The spinach and mushrooms were pan-fried in the wok and then deglazed with marsala.

The pierogi recipe is from Liz's family, and I don't even know it -- so don't ask. ;)

Tags: pierogi, cabbage, dill, spinach, mushrooms, marsala, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Pasta Puttanesca, Brownie Cheescake Torte

Dinner 12/09

Pasta Puttanesca

Dessert

Brownie Cheesecake Torte

Tonight, we did have dinner first before we had dessert -- although it was difficult to concentrate knowing that two tortes were waiting for us in the fridge...



Yes, the brownie cheesecake torte from Thanksgiving makes a return appearance, in a smaller 6" cheesecake pan.

Here's the recipe for the regular sized version. This is a preliminary recipe -- to be used more as a reference than as a finished recipe. Please no wagering.

Brownie Cheesecake Torte

Nonstick cooking spray
Parchment Paper

(brownies)

16 oz. soy cream cheese (softened to room temp)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 oz. soft tofu
1 tbs. ener-g egg replacer
2 tbs. flour

3 oz. chocolate, melted

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

(chocolate buttercream frosting)

1. Prepare two 9" cake pans. Add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom and give it a shot of cooking spray.

2. Make your favorite brownie recipe (we like the one from Millennium -- p.196 -- if the link is busted, search for it on http://books.google.com/), enough to divide it between the two cake pans evenly -- and cook until fully done. Cool, and remove layers from pans. Set aside.

3. Using a stand mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and beat on low until combined. Puree the soft tofu first and then add it to the cream cheese mixture along with the egg replacer and flour. Mix until combined.

4. Divide the mixture evenly into two bowls. Into one bowl, add 3 oz. melted chocolate. Leave the other bowl plain, except add an extra 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract. Stir each until smooth.

3. Preheat oven to 350F. Wrap heavy foil around the base an 9" springform pan, making sure the foil comes up at least an inch up the sides of pan with no gaps. Add a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of the springform pan and hit with the cooking spray again.

4. Place one of the brownie layers in the bottom of the springform pan. Pour in the chocolate cheesecake batter. Gently add the next brownie layer on top. Add the vanilla cheesecake batter.

5. Place the torte into a roasting pan large enough to hold the springform pan flat (this is important). Pour enough hot water around the springform pan to come up the side of the pan, but not over the top of the foil.

6. Carefully place roasting pan in the oven, and bake for ~60 min., or until the top layer of vanilla cheesecake begins to turn lightly brown and the middle doesn't jiggle as much.

7. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of the torte to release it from the sides. Turn the oven off, and place the roasting pan back in the oven for 30 minutes. This allows it to cool gradually to prevent cracking on top.

8. Remove from the oven again and let cool for at least another 60 min. on a wire rack.

9. Cover with a paper towel across the top of springform ring without touching the torte and then cover with plastic wrap to seal. Chill overnight. The paper towel absorbs any excess condensation.

9. Remove the plastic wrap/paper towel from the springform pan and remove the torte.

10. Frost with your favorite chocolate buttercream recipe -- i.e. Isa's recipe from VCTOTW. Best the next day, perhaps even better on the second day.

Slightly over-baking is preferred to under-baking, given the structural requirements of the torte.

Tags: cheesecake, torte, chocolate, brownie, millennium, pasta, puttanesca, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Dessert 12/08

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
(from VCTOTW)

Some nights, you just skip dinner and go straight for dessert.

(OK, we did have dinner later -- a stir-fry, but you've seen that many times before...)

Tags: cupcake, cupcakes, chocolate, vanilla, vctotw, birthday, party, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

French Onion Soup, Roasted Tofu Stuffed with Garlic, Roasted Beet Salad

Dinner 12/07

French Onion Soup

Roasted Tofu Stuffed with Garlic

Roasted Beet Salad

It's cold and miserable weather these days, and it gets dark at 4:45pm -- and it's only December.

I love my stove.

French Onion Soup
(adapted from CI)

3 tablespoons soy margarine
6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices
sea salt
2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 cups veg broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
1 bay leaf
Ground black pepper

Croutons
1 small baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
4 ounces shredded soy cheese (about 3/4 cup)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F, with rack in lower-middle position. Spray the inside of a large dutch oven with nonstick spray, and add soy margarine, onions and 1 tsp salt. Cook for an hour, covered, and then remove and stir, scraping the pot. Put it back in the oven with the lid off just a bit and cook for another 90-105 minutes, scraping at the hour mark, until the onions are brown and very soft.

Remove the pot, put it on the stove top, over medium-high heat, and keep cooking for about 15-20 minutes, or until all the onions brown and the liquid evaporates. Keep cooking for another 6-8 minutes until you have a dark crust on the bottom, and then add 1/4 cup water and deglaze. Repeat this deglazing/evaporating process two or three times, and then stir in the sherry and let it cook until it evaporates again.

Add the broth, two cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 tsp salt and deglaze again. Bring to a simmer over high heat, and then reduce the heat back down and let it simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Toss the herbs and season with salt and pepper.

To make the croutons, bake the baguette slices on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until dry and golden.

Service: Fill broiler-safe crocks with soup, top with baguette slices, sprinkle with soy cheese, and broil for about 3-5 minutes until the soy cheese is melted bubbly, and then let it cool for another 5.

Tags: french, onion, soup, garlic, tofu, beet, salad, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tofu Marsala with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Poached Fig Salad

Dinner 12/06

Tofu Marsala with Chanterelle Mushrooms

Wilted Kale

Poached Fig Salad

For the salad, the dried figs were poached in a Riesling mixture -- injecting a nice jolt of flavor.

update: The recipe for tofu marsala has been making the rounds over on the PPK (thanks Tami and katiejayne)

Seitan Stew, Parsnip Puree, Roasted Cipollini Onions, Bistro Salad

Dinner 12/05

Seitan Stew

Parsnip Puree

Roasted Cipollini Onions

Bistro Salad with Radishes

Liz watched an episode of Tyler's Ultimate and decide to take a crack at a bistro-style meal.

Lots of adapting going on here -- (subbing agave for honey, using veg stock, seitan, soft tofu for cream... etc)

It turned out very well -- the only thing I'd "fix" is the amount of liquid to vegetable puree for the stew -- it had a great flavor, but the ratio was just skewed a little too far towards the vegetables.

Eggplant Parmesan, Haricot Verts

Dinner 12/04

Eggplant Parmesan

Haricot Verts

I like these plates...

Bringing back the classics... the eggplant slices are salted for 30 minutes and rinsed off then dried with a paper towel. Next comes the standard three bowl method -- rolled in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, smoked paprika), then into a cornstarch slurry (equal amounts of cornstarch and water), and finally into the bread crumbs (seasoned with salt and pepper plus a little nutritional yeast).

Served over pasta with a quick tomato sauce (onion, garlic, tomato, sugar, salt and pepper).

Seitan Stew in Red Wine Sauce with Green Beans

Dinner 12/03

Seitan Stew in Red Wine Sauce

Green Beans

Tonight's stew is sort of a quick version of the Seitan Bourguignon -- fried seitan, carrots, onion, garlic, herbes de provence braised in a combo of wine/veg stock, thickened with cornstarch. the big advantage over the bourguignon is that this only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Flagolet Bean Soup, Walnut and Grape Salad

Dinner 12/02

Flagolet Bean Soup
(carrot, onion, celery, flagolet beans, veg stock, salt/pepper, parsley)

Walnut and Grape Salad

Yes, it's December... A hearty bean soup offset with a (toasted) walnut and grape salad.

Stir-Fry with Shiitake Mushrooms and Jasmine Rice

Dinner 12/01

Stir-Fry with Shiitake Mushrooms
(tofu, carrot, red bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, tamari)

Jasmine Rice

Either I've been making stir-fries for too long, or that almost looks like a face with the rice making a beard.

yeah, I need two-week nap...